3/5 A rare historical document of absolutely no merit as entertainment, but the name Erik Bruhn tempted me.
  by J. Faulk (New York NY USA)
[...]
In 1948 choreographer Leonide Massine opted to notate his staging of this Berlioz symphony by photographing the full stage width during a run-through. Dancers are in leotards and the five different backdrops are available. No soundtrack was made of the rehearsal piano (the Liszt transcription has now been added). The five scenes follow the composer's scenario: A love-sick musician takes opium to die but instead hallucinates, repeatedly but momentarily seeing his beloved, till he dreams he kills her, is executed, and is enveloped by sorcerers and monsters. The dancers' faces are unrecognizable, some of their balletic work ambiguous. Superimposed titles have been added to guide the viewer. You can select Angle 1 for full stage or Angle 2 for half stage (very grainy).

On the case front the production photo of the two leads affirms that the Massine production was costume heavy. The documented choreography affirms that it was pantomimic and lacked vigor, with no one permitted to dance more than a few phrases before being whisked off. The stage is often overcrowded.

Oh, there are so many wonderful dance DVDs available now! Spend your money on these.